by Frank Alvarado | Apr 5, 2021 | Investor Visas
USCIS is reporting online that the estimated processing time for a Form I-829 Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status at Immigrant Investor Program Office is now 37 to 248 months. USCIS is only allowing case inquiries for cases...
by kbogucki@longviewstrategies.com | Apr 5, 2021 | Community
In an effort to aid Puerto Rico after catastrophic Hurricane Maria, we launched the “Donate Your Lunch Hour to Puerto Rico Relief Efforts” initiative in October 2017, raising $802.30. The Firm matched this for a total donation of $1,604.60, all of which went to the...
by kbogucki@longviewstrategies.com | Apr 5, 2021 | Community
We partnered with the Political Asylum/Immigrant Refugee Project (PAIR) and hosted our first asylum intake clinic, completing 22 intakes in 2016. The Firm is grateful for this important collaboration and continues to assist with asylum case intakes. New volunteers...
by kbogucki@longviewstrategies.com | Apr 5, 2021 | Community
Partner Leslie Ditrani volunteered in the field at the Dilley Detention Center in Dilley, TX in May 2019, spending a week preparing women for their credible fear interviews. Our Gives Back volunteers in Boston assisted Leslie’s efforts by providing remote...
by kbogucki@longviewstrategies.com | Apr 5, 2021 | Community
We participated in a Veteran’s Day letter writing campaign in November 2017, sending approximately 50 letters to Congress and state attorneys general appealing for protection of the MAVNI program, which allowed certain non-citizens to join the U.S. military and...
by kbogucki@longviewstrategies.com | Apr 5, 2021 | Community
We partnered with Project Citizenship and adopted three sessions in July 2018 to assist pre-screened clients with completing naturalization applications. Volunteers completed thirteen applications, helping to serve clients born in six different countries: Haiti,...
by kbogucki@longviewstrategies.com | Apr 5, 2021 | Community
Our Gives Back program ran a holiday drive December 2017 to deliver gifts to Immigrant and refugee children represented by Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), a non-profit dedicated to providing legal services to immigrant children. Staff contributed gifts from a wish...
by kbogucki@longviewstrategies.com | Apr 5, 2021 | Community
Partner Leslie Ditrani volunteered at CLSACC, the Cambridge Community Legal Services and Counseling Center. The clinic runs on the third Wednesday of every month, providing free legal consultation and advice to immigrants from Cambridge and the surrounding...
by kbogucki@longviewstrategies.com | Apr 5, 2021 | Community
Our Firm drafted “bond packages” to help asylum seekers get released from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Karnes City, Texas so that they can join their families in the U.S. while seeking to obtain asylum. This project is in...
by kbogucki@longviewstrategies.com | Apr 5, 2021 | Community
We once again collaborated with Project Citizenship, signing up at a sponsorship level of 10 volunteers for their 6th annual Citizenship Day in Boston on September 28, 2019. Citizenship Day in Boston is the largest citizenship workshop in New England. Project...
by Frank Alvarado | Apr 2, 2021 | Consular Services & Travel
Travel guidance has changed in the past few months due to surges in COVID-19 infections and a change in the administration. This advisory provides updates to travel bans and protocols, updates to National Interest Exceptions (NIE) for the Schengen area, and an...
by Frank Alvarado | Mar 22, 2021 | Immigration Updates, Nonimmigrant Visas, Permanent Immigration Visas
On March 18, 2021, two bills that would create a legalization pathway for “Dreamers” and for farmworkers (H-2A temporary agricultural workers) received bipartisan support and passed in the House of Representatives. Passage in the Senate is uncertain,...
by Frank Alvarado | Mar 10, 2021 | Global
A change in legislation, published in the Belgian Official Journal on January 26, 2020, and effective January 27, 2021, is having substantial consequences for EU/Schengen travel to Belgium. Between January 27, 2021, and March 1, 2021, all non-essential travel was...
by Frank Alvarado | Mar 10, 2021 | Human Resources Services
E-Verify is available in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. However, it is not required in all states. Many states have passed their own laws mandating E-Verify in...
by Frank Alvarado | Mar 4, 2021 | Naturalization
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on February 22, 2021, that it is reverting to the 2008 version of the naturalization civics test beginning March 1, 2021. USCIS said it determined that the “development process, content, testing...
by Frank Alvarado | Mar 2, 2021 | Permanent Immigration Visas
The Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for March 2021 shows a seven-month leap forward for Chinese and Indian green card applicants in the employment-based first preference category, with a final action date of August 1, 2020, for both countries. In February,...
by Frank Alvarado | Mar 2, 2021 | Consular Services & Travel, Immigration Updates
On February 24, 2021, President Biden revoked former President Trump’s proclamation issued in April 2020 that banned many immigrants from entering the United States. Biden Proclamation Revoking Immigrant Ban President Biden’s proclamation states that the...
by Frank Alvarado | Mar 2, 2021 | Consular Services & Travel, Immigration Updates
On February 24, 2021, President Biden revoked former President Trump’s proclamation issued in April 2020 that banned many immigrants from entering the United States. Biden Proclamation Revoking Immigrant Ban President Biden’s proclamation states that the...
by kbogucki@longviewstrategies.com | Feb 26, 2021 | Immigration Updates
Human resources professionals have their hands full managing the needs of their workforce, including helping employees through the work visa process. Foreign talent is a critical component for U.S. companies, especially those driving innovation in sectors that rely on...
by Frank Alvarado | Feb 25, 2021 | Permanent Immigration Visas
Following the release of the latest visa bulletin by the U.S. Department of State, March has shaped up as a favorable month for filing an adjustment of status. All countries are current across EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 categories except for China and India who advance...
by Frank Alvarado | Feb 22, 2021 | Global
This blog post provides an update on issues for European Union citizens to consider in light of Brexit. European Union (EU) (and European Economic Area and Swiss) citizens who have already been resident in the United Kingdom (UK) are expecting no major issues after...
by Frank Alvarado | Feb 22, 2021 | Individual Services
A U.S. district judge extended DV-2020 immigrant visas for six months so they will not lapse while he renders a decision on plaintiffs’ challenge to Trump-era travel bans that are still in place. “Even if the court were to declare the proclamations...
by Frank Alvarado | Feb 19, 2021 | Global
Residence Permit Validity Extended By Law Decree no. 2 of December 14, 2020, the validity of residence permits has been extended to April 30, 2021. The decree also extends the validity of Nulla Osta (police entry clearances for family reasons, work permits) for the...
by Frank Alvarado | Feb 19, 2021 | Nonimmigrant Visas
According to reports, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) appears to have finished selecting H-1B cap-subject lottery registrations for fiscal year (FY) 2021 (Oct. 1, 2020-Sept. 30, 2021). Employers and counsel who have not yet been notified can check...
by Frank Alvarado | Feb 16, 2021 | Consular Services & Travel
The Department of State (DOS) announced exceptions, based on national interest, from COVID-19-related restrictions for certain travelers coming to the United States, including: Business travelers, investors, academics, J-1 students, journalists, and treaty traders....
